Burial casket



- M ys 1 5- H;R'. RICK 1,375,386

BURIAL CASKET Filed May 22, 1945 I I INVENTOR.

H R R 1 164 ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 8, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE warn. casxer Herbert a. Kick, Kent, Ohio Application May 22,1943, Serial No. 488,033 1 Claim. (01. 27-11) This invention relates, as indicated, to burial caskets.

Up until the beginning of the present war, burial caskets of the more approved types were made of metals now considered as strategic, the caskets in most instances being formed of various pieces soldered or welded together to form the completed casket. Attempts were made to produce metal caskets which would resist rust and deterioration, as well as to produce sealed caskets which would guard against moisture and water entering the casket, as by using a gasket between the body and cover of the casket. and producing pressure by one means or. another between the cover and body of the casket.

Despite all these attempts to produce a waterproof and rustproof casket, it was found necessary to use, in addition to the casket, a heavy burial vault made of steel or concrete, and designed in accordance with the diving bell principle, in order to ensure against the entry of water into the casket. All of this involved the expenditure of a vast amount of money and the use of manpower necessary for war purposes and other important pursuits.

The present invention has for its primary purpose the provision of a burial casket designed to protect the body of a corpse from moisture and water in the ground as well as from parasites and burrowing animals.

Another object of the invention is to provide a casket that will withstand to as great an extent as possible the ravages of alkalis, acids and other elements in the ground.

A further object of the invention is to provide a casket which is relatively light in weight, strong and durable. and which can be easily and quickly shipped and handled.

A still further object of the invention is to Q provide a casket which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. and the use of which renders unnecessary the use of an auxiliary burial vault, such as hereinbefore referred to, as well as gaskets and other mechanical joints.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout r the same,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a typical casket embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the burial casket, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the casket of Fig. 2, showing means for fusing the casket cover to the body thereof, and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, similar to Fig. .2, of a casket but having incorporated therein a sub-cover. I

Referring more particularly to that form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the casket will be seen to comprise a body portion or base I,- and a cover or lid 2, which is hingedly secured, as by hinges H, to the body portion I.

The body portion or base I is preferably molded in a single piece from a resin or plastic,preferably of the thermoplastic type, i.'e., the type which may be softened by heat or heat and pressure. The cover or lid 2 may be molded in either one piece or two pieces, as is customary, and is likewise formed from a resin or plastic of the thermoplastic'type, and to permit the body to be viewed, as is customary, a transparent plastic may be employed.

In either case, electrical heating elements or wires, designated by reference numeral 3, are embedded in the body portion I and cover or lid 2 at points closely adjacent the meeting edges of these parts, and receptacles 4 are also embedded in the parts, which are in electrical connection with these wires and are adapted for the reception of a double plug P, whereby an electrical current may be supplied to the wires 3 in order to heat them to incandescence and thereby cause a fusion of the cover to the body of the casket at all joints therebetween. In some instances, pressure between the parts may be used in conjunction with or in addition to the heating in order to cause the parts to become fused together at the joints. If a two-piece cover is employed, it will be understood that electrical heating elements or wires will also be incorporated in the two pieces at points closely adjacent the joint therebetween. It will-also be understood that where hinges and/or catches are employed, these will necessarily be placed outside the zones of fusion.

By thus causing the parts to become fused together at all of the joints therebetween, after the corpse has beendisposed in the casket, a

highly eifective seal is provided, which protects the corpse from moisture and water in the ground as well as from parasites and burrowing animals. Moreover, by using thermoplastic resins or plastics for the construction of the casket, the fusion which has been described may be accomplished at fairly low temperatures and pressures, and

the" time is enabled to withstand the ravages of the elements in the ground indefinitely.

used in conjunction with or in addition to the heating in order to cause the parts to become The use of a casket formed of such materials 1 by most cemetery associaguard against sunken graves after, 115

The casket, moreover, due to the materials of I which it is made, is light in weight, and can} therefore be shipped and handled at low cost, 3 and with a minimum of physical effort.

i If, for any reason, it becomes necessary to; disinter and examine the corpse, the cover or lid 1 1 may be opened by heating the wires 3 to soften 1 the plastic at the joints, as will be readily undery In selecting plastics for the described,

it will be-desirable to select a plastic which is not 7 too heavy or brittle, which lends itself readily to production in any desired color, and which can,

be easily molded in any desired form or style.

In the form of the casket shown in Fig. 4, the

casket likewise comprises a body portion or base 5, and a cover or lid 6, which is hlngedly secured, 3

as by hinges I to the body portion 5. The body portion 5 is provided with a ledge or shoulder l, and a sub-cover 9, is provided having a flange ll, whereby the ub-cover may be looselymounted on the ledge 8, and may be retained in position during shipment of the casket, by means of a flange II on the cover 6.

The body portion 5 is molded in a single piece, from a resin or plastic preferably of the thermoplastic type, and the cover or lid 6 maybe molded in either one or two pieces, and is likewise formed} from a resin or plastic of the thermoplastic type.

The sub-cover 9 is also molded in one piece, from a thermoplastic resin or plastic, but for this purpose, a transparent plastic is employed, so as to permit the body to be viewed, as is cus tomary.

The body portion 5 and sub-cover 9 have electrical heating elements or wires l2 embedded or incorporated therein along the joint therebetween, which wires may be heated to incandes-; cence in the same or a manner similar to that which the wires 3 are heated, in order to cause a fusion of the sub-cover to the body of the casket all along the joint therebetween. In some instances, pressure between these parts may be fused together at such joint.

Since the sub-cover is thus sealed to the body of the casket, it is unnecessary to similarly seal the cover or lid to the body of the casket, but if desired, this may also be done, in which event the cover and body will have wires embedded therein at the joint therebetween, as in the form of the casket shown in Fig. 2..

The,,principle of the invention which has been dascribedignot limited ,to the m'anufacture of two or three piece caskets, but-'may be applied to the manufacture or pre-fabrication of caskets from smaller parts, such as bottoms, ends, sides,

- etc., which may be shipped to smaller fabricators of caskets in a knocked-down condition, and assembled by the latter by fusion of the parts together-,in the manner described. To facilitate assembly in such cases, the parts will preferably be provided at the edges with tongue and groove joints in addition to the fusion wires. It will be understood that hardware, such as handles and a ornamental corners, can be incorporated in, and

made a part of the base ofthe casket, when molded, or if subsequently applied or attached, provision can be made in the base wherebythe application or attachment of the hardware will not result in penetration inside the casket, so that the casket is at all times maintained waterproof.

It is to be understood that the fom1s of my invention, herewith shown and described, are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: In a burial casket, a body portion and a cover portion both formed of fusible, thermoplastic material, electric heating wires embedded in the meeting edge of said body and cover portions to provide means for fusing the edges together as the wires are heated, an electric receptacle completely embedded in the edges of the body and an electrical receptacle completely embedded in the edge of the cover and carrying contacts connected to said wires, said edges of the body and cover portions having openings therein communicating with the receptacles and extending through vertical side faces to the exterior of the casket, and a single plug having electrical contacts thereon adapted to be inserted in said receptacles, said contacts forming an electricalconnection between the receptacles in the cover and in the body.

HERBERT R. RICK. 

